Foggy Nights
by trainlindz
Summary: James Potter found himself to be sitting in the shallow waters of the Black Lake. James, Sirius


_Written for shimotsuki on Livejournal with the prompts Marauder Era and wet socks :)_

* * *

James Potter found himself to be sitting in the shallow waters of the Black Lake, completely drenched from head to toe as one typically would be when they went swimming.

Problem was, he hadn't been swimming.

He had, however, been drinking.

Memories of the night before began to flood his mind but they were fuzzy at best. The night had started off brilliantly at the Three Broomsticks; the four of them squeezed into a booth, each with a pint in hand, but his thoughts ended abruptly with him and Sirius sitting at the bar with shots of Grumbling Goblin's Gin, several glasses turned upside down in front of them.

He couldn't remember leaving the pub, certainly couldn't remember thinking that lying on the edge of the lake would possibly be a smart move, and for the life of him he couldn't even remember why they had been out in the pub on a Wednesday night to start with.

He stood up slowly and immediately regretted it, his brain swelling inside his head. The drinker's remorse of _'I'm never drinking again' _came to mind, and he instantly winced at the pain the sheer effort of the thought had caused him. Climbing out of the lake, James collapsed under a tree and started to rummage through his robes to find his wand to dry himself off. His fingers had just managed to wrap around it when there was loud snuffling noise somewhere above him.

Snapping into Order mode, James jumped out from under the tree, head pounding, and pointed his wand up at the leaves, ready to disarm whichever Death Eater had been above him ready to pounce.

What he found in the tree however was Sirius Black, hanging upside down and snoring. James looked around for any signs of battle, but there was none. Just Sirius, swinging back and forth in the breeze with his wand laying on the ground beneath him. The part of James' brain that would have known a better way to get him down was still drunk however; the result of his poor severing charm had Sirius laying on the ground in a quick and painful fashion. James sat down in beside him and shook him roughly.

"What the hell happened last night? Why was I in the lake? Why were you in a tree?"

"Don't you remember?" James shook his head, and Sirius groaned, covered his eyes from the light with his arm and started recalling the evening before. From his description it had started out normal enough, sitting with Moony and Peter for a pint, chatting with Rosemerta after the other two had packed it in, arguing with a random bloke about Quidditcch… "… then somewhere along the line, we decided it would be a brilliant idea to fire-call your wife at two o'clock in the bloody morning when we were completely pissed."

His jaw dropped. "Please tell me you are joking."

"Wish I could. It was downright stupid."

"We woke up a woman who is seven months pregnant? At two in the morning?"

"And told her to stop being so uptight and come drinking with us, yes." Sirius grinned.

"Are we mental?"

"Possibly. But you didn't say it - I did. So then she floo-d into the pub in a fury. That's why I was hanging wandless upside down from the tree and you weren't."

"Then why was I in the lake?"

"That's the best bit." Sirius said and he started to snigger and had to wrap his arms around his core to try and control himself. "You told her that you love her even when she's round like the Giant Squid. I think you were trying to be romantic."

James groaned loudly, cursing his stupid mouth from the night before. "That would do it." His head gave a painful throb and he felt a wave a vertigo wash over him. "It would do wonders to have a mug of tea and a bed, right about now. D'you reckon it's safe to go home yet?" He didn't much like the idea of having his hung-over self being cursed down the main street of Godric's Hollow.

"As long as you don't compare her to a gorgon as you walk through the door, I think you'll be safe."

* * *


End file.
